Kwasan and Hida Observatories, Kyoto University

The Kwasan Observatory, Kyoto University, established in 1929, has had an intimate relation with the OAA, because its first Director was the late Professor Issei YAMAMOTO who was also the founder of the OAA (founded in 1920). Here is shown the memorial issue of the opening of the Kwasan Observatory written (in Japanese) by YAMAMOTO in the Heavens (Journal of the OAA) #104 (April 1929).

The Kwasan Observatory was also directed by the late Professor Shotaro MIYAMOTO from 1958 to 1975, and he was well known as a Mars Observer from 1956 to 1973 by the use of a 31cm Cooke refractor and later by a 45cm Zeiss refractor. In 1968, the Hida Observatory was established and in 1972 it was furnished with a 65cm Zeiss refractor. MIYAMOTO also worked as a Vice President of the OAA from 1955 to 1990.

After the retirement of Prof MIYAMOTO, several members, Kyosuké IWASAKI and Tokuhidé AKABANÉ and others, worked on Mars by the use of the refractors at Kwasan and Hida. Here is a review of their observations of the Martian north polar cap in the early 1980s:

The Martian North Polar Cap in the Early 1980s Observed

at the Kwasan and Hida Observatories

which was published in CMO #174 (25 April 1996 issue).

See also the Mars images produced in 1997 at the Hida Observatory by the use of the 65 cm Zeiss refractor.

Note also that Tsuneo SAHEKI was a member of the Kwasan Observatory in 1937 when he found out Antigones Fons by using the Cooke.

Here are given links to the Sites of the present-day Kwasan and Hida Observatories, Kyoto University:

Linkages to the Kwasan and Hida Observatories Home Pages (English) (Japanese)

See also Hida Observatory

and

65cm Refractor and the DST (in Japanese)

SMART (in Japanese)

65cm Refractor (in Japanese)